The Memory of Fate (Book 4)

6. Trusting Easily

Bennett

I tapped my foot along with the beat as I watched the twelve eight year olds in front of me. They were finally getting the hang of the routine I've been teaching them for the last few months. I was so proud of them.

The song ended and I turned off the stereo. "Great job everyone!" I cheered. "Keep up the great work!" The kids started heading for the lobby, to where their parents waited. "I'll see you next week!"

A few of them waved goodbye to me, some even stopped to tell me to have a good weekend. Most were too excited to be getting out to see their parent's reactions to the routine. I could hear the excited chatter from in here.

I grabbed my water bottle from under the bench and took a sip. I only had about ten minutes before my next class started. This one wasn't going to go as well. Middle age women always have something to complain about.

"Hi Ben," one woman said, walking into the room behind me.

I turned, putting the cap back on my water bottle. "Hi Martha, how are you?"

She then launched into a whole rant about some gossip that happened with her coworker yesterday.

I halfheartedly listened as more women wandered in. They were all dressed similarly, with tight-fitting workout pants and sports bras that fit just a little too weird. This exercise class I held twice a week was my least favorite class. But in order to keep my job, I needed to run this class.

As everyone was settling in and catching up with their friends who they hadn't seen since the last class, I noticed someone new slip into the room. She placed her bag on the floor in the corner, looking around as if she was lost. She couldn't have been any older than me.

I walked over to her. "Hey, I'm Bennett. Welcome."

She gave me a small smile. "I'm Theresa."

A lump suddenly formed in my throat and I cleared it before speaking. "It's so nice to meet you. Theresa. I'm definitely going to be able to remember that name."

She let out a tiny laugh, her gaze darting down to the floor for a brief second before she looked me in the eyes again. "Know someone with the same name?"

I shook my head. "Just a name from my past." I glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was time to start. "Well, I hope you enjoy the class."

She smiled, nodding her head as I headed back up to the front of the studio. I tried to lead them as enthusiastically as possible, but I couldn't stop focusing on Theresa. It's been so long since I heard that name, especially meeting someone with it. It left a weird feeling in my gut.

I was glad when the hour was over. This exercise class was always the most tiring one and today didn't make it any easier. I grabbed my water bottle again, drinking down the rest of it.

"Hey, Bennett?"

I turned to see Theresa standing there. "Hey, what's up? How'd you like the class?"

She nodded, some of her fly-away hairs that had escaped her ponytail bouncing around her face. "It was good. Good song choices. But, uh, I was wondering if I could put up a flyer in the lobby? I just moved into a place that's way too big for me and I need a couple roommates to help pay the rent."

"Sure," I said, motioning for her to follow me. As I led her to the community bulletin board, I thought about it. This could be the opportunity I've been searching the internet for for days.

"Here's our community board," I explained. "Any of our members are allowed to put up their flyers here."

She grabbed a thumb tack from the jar on the table under the board. "Thanks so much."

"Of course." I paused. "Hey, where's this apartment? I just so happen to be looking for a place myself."

She smiled. "Not too far from here, actually. Are you doing anything tonight? I could show you the place?"

I took a deep breath. I knew that if I let this pass, I might not find an opportunity like this again, or at least, it'll take forever. What's the harm in just checking out the place? She seemed willing enough to live with her exercise instructor, so why should I have a problem living with someone who had my dead name?

"Sure. This was my last class for tonight, so I just need to clean a bit before locking up. You can stick around and wait, or I can meet you there?"

She decided to stay and actually helped me clean. As we cleaned, we talked. I have to say, the more we talked, the more we realized how much in common we had. She was a fitness nut like I was, which is how she ended up at my class tonight and she had a slight obsession of musicals, just like me. We were even both currently binging the same TV show.

It was on the walk back to her apartment that she dropped the bomb on why she had to move here. "My parents kicked me out," she said. "I got pregnant last year by some douchebag. Lost the baby, but my parents still didn't want me at home if I'm going to be 'reckless'. Their word, not mine."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." I sighed. "I know the feeling. I was kicked out too, but because I came out as trans."

She stopped walking, looking at me. "Ben, that's terrible. How long has it been?"

I shrugged and started walking. "Five years. It's not that big a deal." It helped that I had Tommy, Kali, and Dave on my side. Without them, I probably wouldn't have made it through that time. "My brother was supportive and I lived with him for the first year when I started transitioning. Then I lived with my best friend for a bit before moving in with my ex until about two weeks ago."

It felt weird sharing this stuff with someone I've only really been talking to for the past hour, but there was something about her that made me trust her.

When we got to her apartment, I was shocked at how much space there was. It was a huge three-bedroom apartment, with a nice size kitchen and bathroom. Apparently, it was Theresa's grandmother's and she had made some sort of deal with the owner of the building to let Theresa move in. The only problem was the rent was too high for her to afford by herself, plus she didn't want to live in this huge place by herself.

But, if there was a third person living here, the rent would be manageable enough for me too. I'd even help her find someone else to take the third room.

"You know what," I said, looking around the place one last time. "I think I'll do it."